


Healing scars

by Twot



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Activism, Alternate Universe - Hospital, Death, F/F, Fleurmione Week 2020, Fluff and Angst, Healers, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:01:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26278324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twot/pseuds/Twot
Summary: Dumbledre’s eyes crinkled.  He offered her a cryptic smile and answered serenely “ You know, miss Delacour, you can contribute to our cause by fighting in the front lines or” he paused dramatically for the effect “by helping in the background”“Tell me what you want me to do”Or fleur didn't join the order.
Relationships: Fleur Delacour/Hermione Granger
Comments: 4
Kudos: 210
Collections: Fleurmione Week 2020





	Healing scars

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic posted on ao3... I have major trouble with editin:) I would apreceate any tips you could provide. Feel free to point out any grammatical or spelling errors so I can correct them. I hope you will enjoy the story! I am happy to hear youf thoughts. As for the plot I will be happy to provide any explanations if something is blurred.  
> Please again tolerate my horrible editing. (and possibly comment some tips. Could I I transfer my word archive to the ao3 platform? If yes how?)  
> Happy fleurmione week!  
> Stay home, stay safe

After the Triwizard Tournament Fleur Delacour was conflicted. Her mediocre performance –even though insignificant compared to the tragic end of the Tournament- confirmed the prejudiced opinions that claimed veelas to be nothing more than pretty faces. Fleur, both as a woman and as a veela _craved_ to prove herself in order to promote gender and creature equality. 

Anyways, regardless of her unimpressive performance on the tournament’s tasks, she managed to ace her N.E.W.Ts , something that scored her many job offers and apprenticeships. One particular apprenticeship won her attention : Francois Abasi had accepted to mentor her healing mastery. His techniques were known to be both pioneering and phenomenal because he combines muggle technology with magical healing and curse breaking. He is able to mend major injuries caused by dark magic, making him invaluable to the Auror department. All in all, his offer was an huge honor and a tremendous compliment to her skills.

A year ago she would have seized this opportunity. However after Cedric’s unfair death Fleur Delacour wanted to fight. The veela believed Harry Potters claims about the return of the Dark Lord and wanted to contribute to the fight against him. So, before she gave any answer to the Head Healer, she visited Albus Dumbledore .

“It is my understanding that you wish to join the order miss Delacour.”

Fleur soberly nodded “I want to help ‘arry Potter”

Dumbledore straightened his glasses and the proceeded to fix his beard. “ I don’t think that joining the order is going to be beneficial for you miss Delacour. You see, the members are quite temperamental with the new additions and I don’t think they will give you the opportunity to make the optimal use of your capabilities.”

Fleur’s eyes hardened. She raised an eyebrow and replied haughtily.”I was not aware that your cause had such a public acceptance so you can deny external help.”

Dumbledre’s eyes crinkled. He offered her a cryptic smile and answered serenely “ You know, miss Delacour, you can contribute to our cause by fighting in the front lines or” he paused dramatically for the effect “by helping in the background”

“Tell me what you want me to do”

“Firstly , you should accept mister Abasi’s offer.”

* * *

_Three years later_

Fleur was exhausted . Today, she witnessed the death of 6 teens. Kids younger than her have died a cruel death. They died in her hands, screaming from the pain, crying for their loved ones, trembling from the horrors they saw. 

And Fleur could do nothing. No, she did something. Something unforgivable and disgusting. She decided that these 6 children had to die. She had decided that she couldn’t heal them fast enough, that they should die so she could offer her help to others with higher chances at surviving. 

Right now Fleur Delacour only knew pain, regret disgust.

Fleur had almost finished her studies with Abasi. She got her mastery on healing injuries caused by dark curses and she along with a team of volunteers healers were helping the survivors of the battle of Hogwarts. A portal transferred the severely injured to the Hope Hospital where she and her team were ready to offer their services.

Only apparently they weren’t ready.

The victims were so many and the injuries so severe. Young people stumbled in the hall bloodied, mutilated and scared , screaming from the effects of cruciatus curse to their nervous system. 

Everything was chaotic and frantic. The war in magical Brittan was raging and the wounded multiplied. 

Everything was chaotic and frantic until it wasn’t. The war was over. The light had won. 

_But had it really won?_

The halls of the Hope Hospital had finally become still. No one moved. They just breathed, existed, survived. 

Still, all Fleur knew was pain, regret, disgust.

Almost 24 four hours after the end of the war Fleur Delacour had finally a moment to breath. She observed the decadent image in front of her. People were leaning against the walls, clutching their wounds and holding on their wands as if their life depended on that. 

Fleur snorted at her thoughts. _Their lives depended on a few hours ago._

Mothers were holding their children tightly, as if they would disappear, and brothers hugged close their injured sisters.

Suddenly, something on the atmosphere of the hospital changed. The air became more static , excited _,anticipating._

Then a figure stumbled in the dark hallways of the hospital. A malnourished young girl with untamable brown hair limped inside. With her left arm she was clutching on a wound on her right shoulder. _A stab injury._ Fleur furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. That was a first.

The people around her watched the small girl chug. Their expressions exposed their wonder, respect and awe for her presence. 

Sill the veela couldn’t pinpoint who the girl was. 

Before she could figure it out she heard someone calling “Healer Delacour. We need your help here”.

* * *

Three hours later

Fleur was checking the rooms to see if anyone needed medical attention. For some of the patients this night is going to critical so the healers needed to be in constant vigilance. However, Fleur had pulled a 38 hours shift with only two breaks resulting to Abasi had practically ordering her to go home. 

Fleur leans against the wall and closes her eyes as she feels the adrenaline surge wear off. She pulls herself together and decides that she had better finish her round of visits before she goes home.

Despite her tiredness something attracted her attention. the young veela stared mesmerized at the occupants of the room. 

On the bed a young fragile blonde haired girl slept peacefully. She was so pale that you could assume that she was dead. But she wasn’t. Fleur could barely see the rising and the falling of her chest. 

Fleur was used by now to such depressing sceneries. However what caught her attention was her companion. The brunette from earlier was spattered on the floor beside the injured girl , dutifully holding her hand .Her left arm was still clutching on a wound on her right shoulder but despite its injured state it grasped the blonde’s one so softly but so firmly on the same time.

Around the blonde fairy-like girl dozens of colorful lighting jars were floating, painting a breathtaking but at the same time depressing image.

Fleur couldn’t take her eyes from the form of the tortured brunette. Respectively, the wild haired girl couldn’t take her eyes from her friend.

The healer noted that the brunette’s wounds must have remained unattended, considering that her leg’s and shoulder’s injuries were only sloppily bandaged and still bleeding. They looked deep and painful, but the young girl seemed unfazed by them; her whole undivided attention was focused on the blonde. 

Suddenly, the slumped girl looked up and stared at her deadly in the eyes. Arctic blue met chocolate brown. Fleur knew exactly who that girl was. 

“She’s afraid of the dark,” she supplies in a voice raspy from the painful memories.

Fleur wanted to cry. Today she had seen so much death. Hell, she was responsible for so much deaths. But watching this girl –younger than 18 standing faithfully- bruised, battered, , broken and tired- beside her friend, keeping up dozens of lighting jars for a girl that wouldn’t probably wake up made her realize how unfair all of this was. 

She remembered the girl from Hogwarts. Back then she didn’t find herself impressed with the bookworm friend of Harry Potter. She never bothered to look at her way twice. She seemed small and unimportant and insignificant. 

  
  


She had never looked at the girl’s eyes until now. She thinks that if she had she would have changed her opinion about the brunette. 

Despite their dark edges, the brunette’s eyes held unbelievable depths. Her gaze was intense and defiant and challenging and… she couldn’t find the words. 

The healer approached the girl like one would approach a wounded animal. She could feel the brown calculating eyes on her. 

“Why has nobody tended to your wounds?”

The brunette smirked her eyes crinkling with amusement. “ I threatened the healers that I would hex them should they come anywhere near me” 

The blond however was not amused, she was on full healer mode now. She raised an eyebrow unimpressed. “And how is that going for you? At this rate you are going to bleed yourself to death.”

The brunette shrugged “ I can manage very well on my own. Thanks you very much” she replied dismissively.

For a moment the blonde examined the brunette’s injuries. It was obvious that the younger girl had tried to take care of them. The wound on her leg, even though serious, had received the basic medical attention it needed. Admittedly, the brunette had done a very good job, considering she was only an untrained student.

She looked at the girl’s figure more closely. Her form was little too thin. She was wearing clothes too big for her small body, too tattered, too bloodied. The veela’s heart clenched because she knew that these clothes once fitted the girl perfectly. 

The blonde shook her head and tried to pinpoint the extend of the girls injuries.

The girl’s knuckles were bloodied and bruised. Some of her fingers must have been recently broken. Her right shoulder seemed to have suffered the worst injury so far. There was a gash on her forehead too, but considering the girl’s clarity, concussion should not be a possibility.

Finally, Fleur noticed how her whole body seemed to be trembling. It wasn’t the simple shivering caused by the low temperatures of the hospital. No, the cause of the constant movement of her form was result of long term expose to one particular curse. 

Suddenly the blonde healer felt sick. She had noted that some of the patients she examined had trembling hands or tics but never to such an extent.

Fleur took a deep breath. “I can see that you have tended to your wounds miss Granger. However your care is going to prove inefficient in the long run. If your injuries are not sufficiently healed, they may leave you permanent problems.”

Fleur could see that the brunette was still reluctant. 

However the veela knew what her problem was. 

The blonde proceeded to look on the brunette’s eyes. “How about you let me heal your injuries and if I do something that makes you feel uncomfortable you tell me and I will immediately stop”

The brunette looked at her suspiciously but nodded.

* * *

A week later

The majority of the Hogwarts patients had returned to their homes or had transferred to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries in Brittan. Nowadays only the extremely severe cases still resided on their hospital.

Her mind drifted to the blonde fairy-like girl and her companion. The brunette was faithfully keeping company to her unconscious friend for the past days. Slumped against a wall, holding the younger girl’s hand, the brunette read her loudly a book. The small lighting jars still floated around the young girl, religiously kept colorful and bright by Hermione, in order to make her friend comfortable. 

Every time Fleur examined the comatose girl she made sure to check on the brunette too. Slowly but steadily both her shoulder and her leg injuries healed. A tentative friendship had formed between the two girls. New, fragile but promising.

_As Fleur bandaged the brunette’s leg she couldn’t help but steal glances at the brunettes face._

_Hermione looked serenely at the wall, not paying her a mind. She closed her eyes and said”Take a picture it will last longer.”_

_Fleur blinked at the sudden disruption of the silence._

_The wild haired girl continued. “You want to ask something. Ask away”_

_Fleur raised an eyebrow. “And you will answer?”_

_Hermione shrugged “You won’t know if you don’t ask”_

_Fleur stared at the entwined hands of the brunette and the blonde patient._

_“Why?”_

**_“why are you still here?”_ **

_“_ **_why haven’t you returned home?”_ **

**_“Why didn’t you flee when you could”_ **

_Fleur didn’t voice these questions. She just asked “why” and let the brunette share whatever she wanted._

_Hermione glanced fondly at Luna._

_“She was by my side. We were fighting together when a bright yellow light hit her. It was so bright and powerful that for a moment I was blinded. When I was able to see again, I barely avoided a curse sent on my way. I looked around but I couldn’t find her. I wanted to search her but death eaters were attacking relentlessly.”_

_Hermione sighted. “Luna…” the brunette hesitated “supported me when I was at my lowest. Now, she needs me and I will gladly stand by her side.”_

“Delacour” an annoying girlish voice pulled Fleur away from her thoughts.

A pug faced girl stared at her expectedly and haughtily. The girl was not her patient but she knew of her. Fleur, not one to be intimidated, gazed right back at her and raised an eyebrow silently.

“I learned that Granger is around here.” She said with a voice raspy from the misuse. “Can you tell her to visit me? I want to talk to her”

Fleur was surprised by the request. She was sure that the relationship between the two girls was rocky to say at least. During her residency at Hogwarts she had seen them exchanging slurs more than once. She didn’t want fights in her hospital.

“You are aware that I am a healer and not owl miss?” she asked coldly

“I know that you are the one who invigilates her convalescence. Just tell her that I want to talk to her and it is going to be her decision whether or not to come. My name is Pansy Parkison.”

Fleur nodded and left wordlessly. She supposed she could convey the girl’s message and trust Hermione’s judgment.

Later ,when she needed to examine the patients rooming with miss Parkison again, Hermione accompanied her.

When she brought the request to the brunette she agreed after a moment of hesitation. They decided that the healer would come and collect the younger girl later.

When they arrived, Fleur started immediately working on her patients in order to give the girls a semblance of privacy.

“Parkison” 

“Granger”

The two girls observed each other silently. 

“You wanted to talk.” Hermione prompted.

Parkison took a deep breath. “When that beast attacked me I thought I would die there. Alone and cold, being ravaged by its sharp teeth and destroyed by its greedy hands. And if against all the odds I survived, I would have to face a fate worse than death. I didn’t expect anyone to come to my aid. The rescue would be too dangerous and risky for someone like me.” Parkison paused trying to collect her thoughts. “Then I heard your voice and my last thoughts were: great I will die with Hermione fucking Granger. The next morning I woke up here.”

There was a moment of stillness. The atmosphere was electrified. Pansy swallowed and continued. “I wanted to say thank you. It wasn’t your responsibility. You owed me nothing.” Parkison admitted grudgingly as she stared intently at the floor. 

Hermione raised an eyebrow. “You were unconscious. How do you know that no one else came to our rescue?”

The black haired girl snorted. “As if. No snake would do something that reckless and no other lion would care for a snake. “

Hermione nodded. She observed the girl appraisingly. The war had taken toll on her former bully. Dark cycles surrounded her eyes while her hair was dirty and disheveled.

Hermione sighted. A small smile formed on her face. “Well if you start calling me Hermione instead of mudblood I will be gracious enough to call you Pansy and not blood traitor as your acts during the war indicated.”

Her words were crude and harsh but in that moment Fleur knew forgiveness. 

Parkison looked stunned but she understood the truce offer. “Deal… Hermione.”

As they exited from the room Fleur couldn’t help but stare at the girl with wonderment and admiration. She just couldn’t figure out the brunette. She continued surprising her.

Hermione turned to the veela. “Don’t look a me like that”

“Like what?”

“Like I am a saint. I am certainly not.” Hermione paused. “You know, when I saw Parkinson being wrecked by the Greyback I didn’t came to her aid immediately. For some moments I hesitated. I just watched her being ravaged by the beast.”

The brunette looked down ashamed. “ these moments were the most scary of my life.”

Fleur’s heart clenched. “You did intervene in time and this is what counts.”

Hermione’s eyes brightened a little bit and she smiled slowly. 

Fleur felt her heart skip a beat.

Fleur also knew happiness that day 

Fleur Delacour hadn’t seen Hermione Granger for three months. After her blonde friend was released the brunette said goodbye and then took off to the unknown.

Even the brunette’s best friend Harry Potter didn’t know where she was. In fact , a week earlier he visited searching for information.

_“Hello Fleur” harry smiled weakly at her. Dark eyes cycles decorated his eyes and beard covered his face._

_“ ‘arry! What a pleasant surprise!” fleur smiled brightly and proceeded to hug him._

_After they exchanged their pleasantries Fleur inquired “What bring you ‘ere ma friend?”_

_Harry’s smile immediately dimmed. He wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and looked around anxiously. “Well, you know, I haven’t heard from Hermione since she checked out from the hospital. I came to ask you if you know anything about her current location.”_

_Fleur grasped his shoulder.”Oh ‘arry! I haven’t heard anything from her. je suis desole”_

_Harry took a deep breath. He looked as if he was going to cry. “Was she well?” he asked ”The last time you saw her. Was she well?”_

_“She was sad but ‘opeful , I think”_

_Harry’s voice cracked. “You know Hermione is my best friend. She-she has supported me as much as a person can support another. She stood by my through the worst moments of my life. She gave up a lot for me. And she suffered so much during the war. More than me.”_

_Harry was now crying. “So, if you happen to find any information please send me an owl as soon as possible”_

That memory came to her mind when one night Hermione Granger came on her office and said “Don’t tell Harry I am here.”

Hermione examined the brunette. She was wearing a cloak covering her facial features. 

“Why are you ‘ere ‘ermione?”

Hermione paused. 

“I-Ineed help” she said with a raspy voice.

Fleur knew horror.

As she examined Hermione’s body Fleur knew nothing but horror. She was too thin, almost malnourished. Her torso was marred with a long scar that seemed to be splitting the brunette in tow. A long jagged scar snaked down the right side of her neck. Like someone cut her there with a knife. _They probably did._

Scars covered her back like a hundred silvery pink snakes. It was a brutal reminder of war.

Fleur traced them lightly with her fingers and the brunette shivered. 

However there was one particular scar that Fleur couldn’t take her eyes off. _Mudblood._ Hermione’s left arm was tainted by these words. Blood was emerging from it mercilessly _._

Fleur knew rage. This slur, imprinted in Hermione’s hand was a taunting reminder of prejudice and mindless hate.

“I-it is oozing black magic.” Fleur stuttered.

“I know” Hermione replied . “That’s why I need your help. You specialize in this kind of curses.”

Fleur snapped out of her trance and asked in full healer mode. “ I understand . what side effects have you noticed.”

“Dizziness, anxiety, sudden pains , seizures.” Hermione took a deep breath. “i-I think that it reinforces the effects of cruciatio. I did some muggle tests. My nervous system is weakening rapidly.”

Fleur blinked. She realized the implications of such declarations. If they didn’t act swiftly Hermione could… Fleur chose to shake away that train of thought. 

“Then we shall get to work immediately” she replied decisively.

“Just don’t tell Harry about my condition. He is really protective of me and he has to deal with a lot of things right now. He doesn’t need my baggage too.”

“’ermione, ‘arry cares for you” the veela said softly.

“I know, but I need to do this on my own. I will communicate with him as soon as possible but I don’t want to worry him.”

“’ermione-” 

“Don’t try to persuade me Delacour, I have made my decision. “

Fleur glared at her 

Hermione glared right back defiantly.

Her eyes were bright and sparkling. 

Her stomach was filled with stupid butterflies. 

_Challenge accepted miss Granger. Challenge accepted._

* * *

“Don’t you dare feel sorry for me” Hermione said suddenly.

“What?” Fleur asked confusedly.

“I have seen how you have been staring at my pityingly since I told you how I obtained my scars. Hell you are sending waves of pity on my way ever since you first saw me at the hospital.”

“It’s not that-“Fleur was disrupted.

“No, you will hear me out. What happened to me was vile and mean and evil. I sacrificed a lot. I lost a lot.” Hermione’s voice cracked. “However, by feeling pity for me you undermine everything I did.“ she said strongly. “Feel pity for those that chose to flee instead of fighting. Pity the people that don’t have anything worth fighting for. Pity those that have things worth fighting for but are too scared to defend them. Pity the servile, the cowards and the defenseless. But don’t pity me.”

Hermione smirked. “ Don’t pity me because they can’t give me nothing I wont give back tenfold.” Hermione was defiant, wild, almost feral. Her eyes were sparkling and her features were a painting of challenge and mischief. Her eyes resembled with little pyres ready to shallow her whole. 

Fleur’s heart was beating faster. She had never come across with a soul that shines as bright as Hernione’s.

“Instead be proud of me because even though I was tied up , battered, bruised and tortured, a prisoner of lest importance ,there wasn’t a moment that my captors could claim to be freer than me.”

Herrmione was breathing heavily. Neither girl says anything. They are content to just exist In the same room. They orbit around each other’s presence as if the one was the sun and the other was the earth. 

Fleur is the one that disrupts their silence.

“I am proud of you Hermione”

* * *

Every since Hermione’s health improved and the girl could leave the hospital facilities Fleur couldn’t take the younger girl off her mind. The brunette decided to expand her magical limits. She decided to travel around the world, visit other magical communities and learn about new cultures. She vigorously researched the cultures of magical creatures. 

Hermione had managed to persuade a community of centaurs to live with them and then she explored the black depths of the sea along with the mere people. 

One time she sent her a card postal from Romania were she studied for her master in dragonology.

The brunette craved to explore the limits of magic.

And fleur craved to explore the brunette.

But also she strived to promote equality and freedom- ideals that made her whole body pulse and her eyes light fires when she talked about them.

So Hermione Granger except from witch -extraordinaire was also an activist and a protester.

The only downside of her wild lifestyle was that Hermione Granger was always bleeding.

“Why are you always bleeding” Fleur asked as Hermione sat on the hospital bed.

Hermione smiled widely. “Because I know that my favorite healer is going to patch me up”

Fleur tsked and proceeded to bandage her hand. “Muggle or magic this time?”

“Muggle.”

“Hermione, one of these days you are going to get in deep trouble.”

Hermione looked up. Her expression was as wild as her hair right now. Her eyes were dancing with mischief and challenge as always. “But don’t you know Delacour… I walk on the shadow of trouble.” 

Hermione Granger was a mess of chaotic energy that made the room electric. She flashed Fleur a smile that was charming and genuine and happy and alive. It was a smile that transformed the ground beneath her into clouds and turned her cold heart into a flock of birds dancing in the rhythm of her partner’s breathing.

Fleur was so close to Hermione now. She had never been so close to her. not in such intimate way. She could feel brown eyes tracing over her form. Not in a hungry and greedy way like her former suitors but with softness. 

Hermione was tender .

(No one had ever been this tender with her again)

Fleur gulped.

“With your lifestyle you are going to find an early death you idiot.” Fleur said jokingly.

Hermione gently grasped her hand,. She held it as if it was as precious as gold and as fragile as glass.

“No one ever won death Fleur. No one. What you must strive to do is win life. This is what I am trying to do.” Hermione said quietly. 

Hermione looked at her with a gentle expression. She was always so gentle and alive. And fleur craved gentleness and adored Hermione’s bright spirit.

She spent so long trying to run from how she felt. But she couldn’t do it anymore.

Fleur suddenly wrapped her arms around Hermione’s neck and kissed her. it was a chaste slow kiss, full of longing and adoration.

Hermione stared at her confusedly.

Fleur held her breath.

The brunette furrowed her eyebrows “I said something right. What was it? Tell me so I can repeat it” 

Fleur let out a relieved laugh. 

“Now how about we meet outside of this damn hospital?”

“Are you asking me on a date miss Granger?”

“Absolutely”

“Yes”

Fleur knew happiness.


End file.
